Real-world ‘Home Alone’: 12-year-old boy catches burglar

It's a story that would make Kevin McCallister proud.

Twelve-year-old Tyler Wilson was home alone on the afternoon of February 23rd, playing on his bedroom PlayStation, when he heard a window smash downstairs.

He didn't panic.

The calm preteen quickly moved to the spare room, a refuge packed with furniture thanks to ongoing renovations in his Bristol, England, home, hoping the burglar wouldn't bother with the mess there.

From the spare room, Tyler quietly called his mother at work. She then called the police; within 15 minutes, sirens were wailing down the street.

The burglar, 19-year-old Anton Isserlis, was caught trying to steal a widescreen television, laptops and jewelry from the residence. Isserlis, of no fixed address, has since been sentenced at Bristol Crown Court to two years detention in a young offenders' institute. In court, he claimed he knocked first and assumed the home was empty; he wouldn't have intruded had he known Tyler was inside.

Superintendent Ian Wylie from Avon and Somerset praised Tyler's calm response and invited the boy to visit his local police station for a behind-the-scenes look at calls like his own.

Wylie told the Evening Post, "Tyler's quick thinking meant officers were able to attend the scene quickly, catch the burglar in the act, put him before the courts and bring him to justice. I have no doubt that without his call we may not have caught this person and I was very impressed with Tyler's actions — he is obviously very brave and sensible."

None are more impressed than Tyler's parents, Sylvia and Rodney. Sylvia's pride in her son is coupled with anger over the whole situation:

"We are so proud of what he did, he was so brave, and did absolutely the right thing. But we are also quite angry — why should we be made to go through all that, and now feel nervous about him being at home alone when he likes having that independence. Why should he be made to feel uncomfortable and scared in his own home?"

The 12 year old didn't intend to be home alone for long that day; he was waiting for his 18-year-old brother Scott to return home at the time of the 2:30 p.m. break-in.

While it's easy to make "Home Alone" references, for the sake of this lucky family, let's hope there's not a sequel.

(Photo credit by Barry King/WireImage)